Silver Surfer or Flying Saucer

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ktschopp

Active member
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
40
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on a chinchilla wheel, specifically the silver surfer or flying saucer? Both are within my price range but I'm not sure which is best suited for my chinchilla. I would prefer a wheel/saucer that is pretty quiet just because I live in a small apartment and don't want something that will keep me or my roommates up at night. I'd also like one that's sturdy/lasts a while just because of the price.
 
I can't say for the silver surfer, but I have a flying saucer and love it. It's not noisy itself but does make the cage rattle when they really get going. I've had the wheel for almost 6 years and it's still like brand new. I've even read reviews somewhere of the wheels being 10+ years old and still working like new.

The only things I can say about the silver surfer is that it does take up less space, since it's more against the wall. It is the bare minimum size, it's only 14" (flying saucer is equivalent to a 20") with a 4" wide running surface but if your chin is smaller (I'd say under 800g) and not fat/wide it should be ok. I have heard they can be noisy if they aren't properly aligned, and be knocked out of alignment over time if your chin is crazy. Also the paint on them wears off over time. They may have fixed those issues though. They also don't fit very well on narrow bar cages (like a CN for example) because of how the bolts are situated.
 
Okay thanks! The flying saucer had caught my eye originally but I’ve seen some people with the silver surfer so wanted to get any opinions. I think the saucer model would work better
 
Well hopefully someone that has a silver surfer will chime in too. I just noticed no one replying to you in a couple days so I figured I'd tell you what I've heard/read anyway. :)
 
The flying saucer is space consuming and has a risk of breaking cage bars due to it's weight. It needs to be installed with proper support. Otherwise it has few problems I know of but I don't own any.

The silver surfer fits in more cage setups but chins will chew apart the thin metal. It will last more like 6-12months if you replace it cautiously instead of at least a couple years and sometimes 5+ for more expensive wheels. While overall it doesn't seem to be a risk for them to chew it some they do create sharp edges eventually and it will need checked and removed or a chin can get cut on it. One of our pairs even removed the entire rim edge off an older silver surfer between cage checks. It left the edge sharp and jagged for at least part of the night and may have caused a small shoulder wound.

I'm not saying absolutely don't buy a silver surfer since they take awhile to chew them enough to cause problems but replace immediately if damaged. If you have the money and cage setup for one of the other wheels I do suggest it.

Exotic nutrition has a newer saucer style wheel that is freestanding, cheaper than a typical flying saucer, and made of steel they can't chew. Early designs though did unscrew sometimes when they ran on them. We still have one from about 4 years ago but while some of our chins are fine for a week others will cause it to wobble after a day and then slide off the base if not tightened. I know they changed the bearing system some since then and a few people did have suggested fixes of changing the screws or nuts out with some hardware store purchased options. I haven't tried any of it.
 
My chin loves her Silver Surfer. We tried the Flying Saucer right after I got her and she went flying off of it. She couldn't master it so I returned it and bought the blue Silver Surfer. It's pretty loud but on the bottom of the 2-story Critter Nation it's not too bad; you get used to it. She loves it and it and the way it's weighted lets her rock side to side which she really enjoys. Also takes up less room than the Flying Saucer so she's got more running room.
 
Sorry, but I didn't notice the post on the silver surfer chew problems before I posted my reply. My chinchilla is the queen of chewers so whatever goes in with her has got to be 100% chew-proof. I can't speak for the classic silver-colored wheel but we've had the blue one for two-ish years now and it has held up beautifully. It's my understanding that the only difference is the color. Really great investment and it's by far her favorite item. I'm trying to break her of this habit but she loves to get it spinning, jump out, and hold her teeth against the inside of the wheel letting them scrap the inside as its spinning. Think fingernails on a chalkboard. Even with that, the only damage has been some scratches. The metal on this one is thick and the wheel is heavy. I will say it took some finessing to install it and I had to use a pair of pliers to bend one of the two hooks that hold it in place and then bend it back once I got it through the bars. The metal is thick enough that it didn't weaken the hook at all. My decision to get the wheel was because Isabeau did not like the Flying Saucer but I tried it first because it's open and better for their backs. I'd say give it a try but, ultimately, let your chin decide.
 
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